A Rainbow of DamselsAugust 2003
 

Yellow damselfly
It was in the pursuit of photographing dewdrops that I first began watching damselflies, which are, in effect, smaller cousins of dragonflies.

Or perhaps I should say tiny: in comparing a damselfly to a dragonfly, the damsels photographed varied from being perhaps a half an inch to nearly a full inch long (or about 1 to 2.5 cm) but having the width of a fine needle.

The most striking aspect of damselflies is their rainbow of colors: yellow, blue, beige, green, violet, and orange are today's selections
 
Blue damselfly
 
Apart from size, the difference between damselflies and dragonflies is that the former fold their wings over their body and the latter leave their wings perpendicular away from their body.
 

Beige damselfly

 
Damsels are not particularly strong fliers although they can hover very well.

Green damselfly
 

The above damsel is one of my favorites. Although I had to reduce the photo to a third its original size for web proportions, look at those beautiful wings. The green is striking too!
 
Violet damselfly

 
The trick of damselfly photography is to spot one and follow along until it decides to rest. Afterwad it is only a question of getting close enough, since any damselfly I've noticed has also noticed me. (Great eyes!)
 
Orange damselfly
 

Wouldn't you know it: The day after I posted this page, I came across an orange damselfly, which completes my rainbow.

Photo note: All six photos were taken with a Sony F707 digital camera with various close-up filters.


 
Damselflies from 2010 and from 2011

Ladybug extremes   and   antics

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